Advice for new college students from not-so-new college students

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Kieran LynchSt. John’s UniversityKellenberg Memorial High School

There are two types of college students: the type you hang out with and create countless memories with, and the type who goes home the second he gets out of his last class for the week, gets his laundry done by his mom and isn’t heard from until he gets back Sunday night.

Be the first type. Stick around on weekends and get involved. That’s how you’ll make friends, get the most out of your time at school … and even learn to do your own laundry.

Grace Poppe

University of DaytonCarey High School

Usually, when I tell people from home where I go to college, they give me an incredulous look, followed by a sputtering, “Why?” Then, when I tell them I’m an English major, I typically sense their skepticism and hear a polite, “Oh, that’s nice. You’re doing something you like.”

So my advice is not to listen to the skeptics. If you feel drawn to a certain school and a certain major, there’s a good reason. I absolutely love Dayton and the people there, and wouldn’t change my choice or my experience for anything.

If you’re feeling anxious about your choice of college because not everybody else approves, don’t. And once you get there, pick the major that you want, and change it 10 times if you feel so inclined. The skeptics are often the ones who didn’t do that, and wish they did. Do what you love.

Jason Brendler

University of MarylandHewlett High School

Go to class, and keep an open mind. A lot of college kids think it’s all right to skip classes because in most cases they’re not mandatory. But that’s how you fall behind, and falling behind is the most stressful thing you can go through.

Stay on top of the material, and not only will you have to study less when it’s exam time, but you’ll feel more comfortable throughout the year.

It’s important to keep an open mind because you’ve gone from living in a community you’ve probably been in your whole life to one full of all different kinds of people from all over the country, and even the world. Don’t limit yourself to the things you already know. Instead, take the initiative to meet new people, try new things, join a club, play a sport or otherwise venture out of your comfort zone. It will help you adjust, stand out and enjoy the experience to the fullest.

Sid Tanenbaum, who lived in Woodmere and owned a metal-stamping shop in Far Rockaway, where he was known more for his charitable ways than his two-handed set shot, has been honored for the past 30 years with a basketball tournament that raises scholarship money for students in the Five Towns.